Village Heads Selling Rural Land to be Prosecuted
Traditional leaders selling State land will be prosecuted and risk jail, the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development has warned as it combats the growing practice by village heads, especially in the communal lands around Harare Metropolitan, to sell off plots.
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Already several village heads have been convicted of the crime.
Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Permanent Secretary Professor Obert Jiri said traditional leaders were not allowed to sell State land, and communal land is classified as State land held in trust. They should work hand in glove with local councils.
“Village heads should not sell land, rather it is preserved for families that are in their area. Preserve land for your children, there is no room for selling land to outsiders. Land should be protected for your future generations. Cases of selling land are increasing in rural areas and we do not want this to continue,” he said.
Over the past few years Government has been carrying out capacity building workshops to educate traditional leaders on their roles.
Village Heads Selling Rural Land to be Prosecuted
This was after some traditional leaders had been implicated in land scams accepting money to allow people from outside their community to be allocated communal lands within that community. Section 282 of the Constitution says traditional leaders have a responsibility to manage communal lands and protect the environment.
Despite knowing that rural land should be dispensed to individuals for free after consultation, some traditional leaders have allegedly chosen to ignore the law for profit.
The rising cost of urban land has seen urban home seekers move into adjacent rural areas which are now experiencing pressure on demand for social services.
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Areas such as Domboshava 30km from Harare and Goromonzi about 40km have become the locations of choice for home seekers.
The situation is not unique to Domboshava and Goromonzi alone, but other peri-urban settlements in and around the metropolitan province.
